Automatic train-control device



June 28 1927.

v G. H. sANBoRN AUTOMATIC TRAIN co'NTRoL DEVICE Filed April 24, 1923 Patented .lune 28, 1927.

narran STATES GEORGE H. SANBORN, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

ATOMATIC TRAIN-CONTROL DEVICE.

Application tiled April 24, 1923. Serial No. 634,355.

This invention relates to improvements in` an apparatus forcontrolling the operation and speed of railway trains or other vehicles ofr a similar character. y

he object of the invention is to provide an electrically operated mechanism asso-` ciated with Athe usual fluid pressure or air` brake system of a train that if said train exceeds a certainpredetermined speed, or if any of the common and well -known trafficconditions arise within av predetermined length of track, known as a block., which to insure safety calls for a reduction of speed o-r the complete stopping of the train, that the same may be accomplished by the automatic settingl ofthe bra-kes provided upon said train. Y

The invent-ion consists in the combina-tion and ar angement of parts whereby the above objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearing may bevattained set forth' in the following specification andparticularly pointed out in the claims thereof.

thepdrawings: if ,1 gure 1 is a cli animatie representation ofa device eniboc ying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail transverse section through the piston valve and cylinder taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a. detail transverse section also taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 but with the piston located in its raised position.

Fig. 4t is a detail transverse section taken through the cylinder on the line of Fig'. 1, but with the piston in its raised po sition.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the severa-l views of thel drawings-- In the drawings, the track equipment of the apparatus consists of rails 5 and 6 which represent a single track railway line of wel known construction which is divided into sections of prec etermined length known as blocks. n Fig. 1 of the drawings a portion of twoadjacent blocks A. and B are illustrated and the rails 5 and 6 of the block A are insulated from the correspondingv rails of the block B at T and 8 to prevent electric communication therebetween. TheY rail consists of live sections 9 which may be of` any desired length accordingl tothe locality and conditions of traflic and two short cut out sections lO and 11, each preferably about sir; feet in length, insulated apart at 12 and.

sections at 13 and from their adjacent live block 14 respectively. The rail G of each constitutes in its entirety a live section 15. Each block is connected to a suitable main source of electric. supply, preferably a. storage battery 16 which is connected by wires 17 and 18 to the live sections 9 and 15 of the'rails 5 and 6 respectively.

fires 19 and 20 connect the cut-out sections and 11 respectively of the rail 5 of the block A with a track relay 21 of well known construction, while a wire 22 connects the live section of the rail 6 with said track relay 21. The track relay 21 of the block B is embodied in an auxiliary track circuitl and is connected by a wire 23 with a track lrelay 24 of well known construction also provided for the block l whileV another wire 25 connects the relay 2l with a battery 26 which latter is connected by wire 27 to the relay 24. lVires 2S and 29 connect the relay 24 with the live sections 9 and 15 respectively of .the block B. The relay 24- opens and closes the auxiliary track circuit to the relay 21, which, in turn, opens and closes the circuits which include the cut-out sections 10 and 11.

T he train equipment is preferably mounted upon the locomotive and embodies therein shoes 30 andBl of any suitable construction which are yieldingly mounted upon said locomotive in a posit-ion to engage the rails 5 and 6 respectively. The shoes 3() and 31 are insulated from each other and are positioned midway between the sets of wheels of said locomotive which the farthest apart. A wire connects the shoe 31 with a quick action relay 33 of well known construction and the shoe. 30 is connected by a wire 3l to a battery and the latter by a wire 36 to the relay The relay 33 is connected by a. wiro '57 to a solenoid 38 and by another wire 39 to a` segmentalshaped contact plate l0 fastened to a dial l1 'of a speed indicator 42. Anotherwire 43 connects the solenoid 38 with ay dynamo 14 which 'forms a part of the usual equipment of the locomotive and said dynamo is connected by a wire l5 with a. segmental-shaped contact plate L16 also fast to the dial 41 of the speed indicator 42, the contact plate 46 being parallel to the contact plate 4:0. The speed indicator is provided with a hand 47 which is operatively connected with a flex-y ible shaft Li8 which extends from said indicator to a point adjacent to one of the wheels of the locomotive where it is voperatively connected 'to an axle 49 and driven n se in the usual well known manner. A contact member is fast to the hand 47, being insulated thereirom, and said contact member' engages the contact plates 4() and 46 and normally completes an electric circuit therethrough, the said circuit however, being broken it the train attains a speed which rotates the hand 47 a sutlicient amount to disengage the contact member 50 from the contact plates 4() and 46.

The solenoid 38 is mounted upon a cylindrical casing 5l within which a pressure chamber 52 is provided. Mounted upon the casing 5l is a cylinder 53 within which a piston 54 constituting a valve member is slidably mountet. The piston 54 is rigidly connected to an armature 55 of the solenoid 33 and said armature extends from said piston through the chamber' 52 of the casing 5l through a stutiing box 56 provided in said casing and through the solenoid 38 in which it is slidably mounted and by which it is energized in the usual well known manner. The armature 55 has a bearing 57 fastened at its lower end which acts as a stop to limit the upward movement ot said armature when the solenoid .36 is energized. A shoulder 58 provided at the lower extremity ot the cylinder limits the downward movement of the piston 54 and armature 55 when the solenoid is cle-energized, while a spline 59 tast in the armature 55 engages the shoulder 58 and prevents the piston 54 from rotating in the cylinder 53.

The cylinder 53 is operatively7 connected to a train pipe 60-in which is a suitable pressure iiuid preferably compressed air. The train pipe 60 is well known to those skilled in the art and `forms a part ot' the usual air brake equipnjient ot the train and the cylinder 53 is interposed between sections 6l and 62 ot' said train pipe, said sec-- tions being connected to the cylinder 53 upon opposite sides thereof and in longitudinal alignment 7ith each other. The section 6l ot the train pipe 6() connects with an enginees valve 63 ot` the usual well known construction and also embodied in the usual air brake equipment of the train. Extending transversely through the piston -is a train pipe port 64 and said port aligns with the sections 6l and 62 of the train pipe 6() when said piston 54 is located in its extreme upward position and constitutes a source ot communication between said pipe sections during the normal running and operation ot the train. A groove 65 constituting a port is provided in the periphery of the piston 54 which constian exhaust valve member and when the i r is located in its lowered position, said port provides a means of communication between the section 62 of the train pipe 60 and an exhaust port 66 provided in the cylinder 53 and the air in said train pipe is .exhausted therethrough, thereby causing the air brakes olv the train to be applied in a manner well known to those skilled in the art.

Another port 67 constituting an equalizing reservoir port also extends transversely through the piston 54 and when the latter is located in its lowered position as illustrated in Fig. l said port provides a means oi communication for a suitable fluid preterably compressed air stored in an equalizing reservoir 68 to pass therefrom through a. pipe 69 to the cylinder 53, and from thence through a pipe 7() to the pressure chamber 52 previously mentioned, said compressed air being controlled by avalve 7l located in the pipe 69. The compressed air admitted to the chamber 52 communicates with the interior of the cylinder 53 beneath the piston 54 through a? pasasa-ge 72 formed between the shoulder 58 and periphery of the armature A55 and acts to litt said piston from its lowered position to its raised position, at which time the supply ot air to the chamber 52 is first automatically shut off by said piston and then exhausted from said chamber through the pipe 7 O from which it passes through a port 73 formed in the periphery of said piston to an exhaust port 74 provided in the cylinder 53, see Fig. 3. Another port 75, similar to the port 73 is provided in the piston 54 upon the opposite side thereof from the port 7 3 and when said piston is located in its extreme raised position, the said port 75 communicates with an exhaust port 76 similar to the exhaust port 74 and also located in the cylinder 53. The ports 7 5 and 76 allow air from the equalizing reservoir 68 to -exhaust therethrough until the valve 7l is closed and during the passage ot said air through said ports a. noise created by the air exhausting will constitute an audible signal tor the engineer that the piston 54 has reached its uppermost position and that the valve 7l should be closed.

A branch pipe 77 leads from the section 6l of the train pipe 60 to a. governor 78 ot' well known construction, and which is usually set at several pounds less than the train ine pressure, and said governor is connected by a pipe 79 to a reducing valve 80 also of well known construction, and which may be regulated to supply a given amount ot air pressure through a pipe 8l to a chamber 82 located within the cylinder 53 above the piston 54. An exhaust port 83 for the chamber 62 is provided in the cylinder 53 and the air within the chamber S2 is exhausted through said port 83 when the piston 54 is at its extreme lowered position. A pipe 84 connected to the pipe 79 between the governor 78 and the reducing valve 8O connects with the cylinder 53, see Fig. 4, and communicates with the train pipe port 64 when the latter is in communication with the llfi YOV

train pipe 60 through a small passage 85 provided in the piston 54. This allows an auxiliary supply of air to be delivered from the train pipe to the reducing valve 80 when the train is ruiming, but this supply is shut offautomatically the instant the piston 54 drops. A branch pipe 86 connects the pipe 81 with a double pressure gauge 87 provided with an indicating hand 88 whichindicates the pressure within the chamber 82, while a pipe 89 connects the section 62 of the train pipe 60 with the pressure gauge 87 in a manner to operate another hand 90 which indicates the pressure of the airwithin the train pipe 60. The solenoid 38, lower portion or the armature 55 and bar 57 are all enclose@L in a casing 91 which is fastened together with said solenoid to the casing 51.

The general operation of my improved automatic train control device is as follows -Assuming there is a train in the bloclr A and there is no train located in the block B which said rst mentioned train is approaching, or no other trailic` condition exists to break the electric circuit to the relay 24 which controls the relay 2l, said first mentioned train upon arriving at the short cut-out sections l and l1 of the bloclr A and iinding the electric circuit from said cut-out sections to the relay 2l closed, may pass on without interruption. At this time conditions upon the locomotive of the train are as tollows':-The electric circuit from the battery passes through the wire 34 to the contact shoe 30 and from thence through the rail 5, wheels and axles ot the. locomotive to the rail 6 and contact shoe 3l, thence through the wire 32 to the relay 33 and wire 36 to the battery 35.' This circuit being closed, and the relay 33 being energized, the electric circuit controlled by said relay to the solenoid 38 is also closed and said solenoid is energized. This last-named circuit includes the wire 37, solenoid 38, wire 43, dynamo 44, Wire 45, contact plate 46, contact member 50, contact plate 40 and wire 394 to the relay 33. When the solenoid 38 is energized the piston 54 is held by said solenoid in its raised position against air pressure in the. chamber 82 above said piston, and the train pipe port 64 in said pistonA is in communication with the sections -61 and 62 of the train pipe 60 and the air pressure in the train line is maintained. l/Vhen the train line is at its required pressure, air passes through the pipe 77 to the governor 78 which is set at several pounds less than the train line pressure and said air passes trom said governor through the pipe 79 to the reducing valve 8O which is regulated to supply a given amount of pressure 'to the chamber 82. An auxiliary source ot air is obtained from the train line through the passage 85 and pipe 84 to the reducing valve 8() for the purpose ot giving a continuous source of pressure to the chamber 82`through said reducing valve when for any reason the train pipe pressure is below that at which the governor 78 is set.

It, on the other hand, there is a train as P 30 and 31er" the locomotive ot a train, illus-y trated at C in the block A, reach the cutout sections l0 and l1 or" said block, said Contact shoes being insulated from each other, the electriccircuit to the relay 33 will be broken, thereby cle-energizing said relay, with a result that the electric circuit to the solenoidV 38 becomes broken, cle-energizing the same and-allowing the air pressure in the chamber 82 above the piston 54 'to torce' said piston downwardly into the 'position illustrated in Fig. l, thereby causing the air within the train pipe to be exhausted through the ports and 66, with the result that the brakes of the train will immediately be applied and the train brought to a stop.

The instant the brakes ot' the train are applied, the engineer it alert, is notiiied by the sudden slowing down of the train that there an obstruction upon the track ahead and that caution must thereafter be ernployed in the operation of the train. lt, upon investigation, it is found sate to proceed at a reduced speed, the engineer may do so by first moving the handle or" the engineers valve 63 to lap position, and then operating the valve 7l, thereby allowing compressed air from the equalizing reservoir 68 to pass through the pipe 69, port G7 and pipe 7 O to the chamber 52 beneath the piston 54. Prior to this time the pressure cit the air within the chamber 82 above the piston 54 has been reduced by exhausting through the port 83 and the air now admitted to the chamber 52 beneath said piston will force the latter upwardly until said piston has nearly reached the top of its throw, when the passage ot air through the equalizing reservoir port 67 is cut-01T from the pipe 70. Tie pressure of air within the clmi'iberr however, will still ccntinue to torce the pist-on upwardly until the latter reaches its uppermost position where it will be held'by the solenoid 38. it will be understood 'that under normal conditions the electric circuit which includes the battery35 and relay 33 is always closed except when the circuit throughthe cut-out sections is open, and the former circuit when opened by an open cut-out section is again closed the instant the contact shoes of the locomotive pass out ot the cut-out section into a lll;

live section, thereby again energizing` the solenoid 38, rthere is not enough power, however, in the solenoid 38 even though energized to alone litt the piston 5t because ot the air pressure in the chamber 82 above said piston and the latter, therefore, cannot be raised until the engineers valve 6? is moved to lap position and the valve 7l operated to apply the air beneath the piston as previously described. The electric power in the track from the main source ot electric supply has nothing to do with the opening` and closing ot the circuit to the relay 33 upon the engine except at the cut-out sections. lVhen the piston is located in its extreme raised position, the port 73 in said piston Will align With the exhaust port 74.?

in the cylinder allowingthe air trom the chamber to return through the pipe 70 and be exhausted to the atmosphere. At the same time also the air trom the equalizing reservoir 'i8 will continue to pass through the valve 7l and be discharged through the port T in the-piston, and the exhaust port 7G in the cylinder creating a noise ot' rushing air which will notify the engineer that the pistou has reached its normal running position and that the valve Z1 should be closed. y

ln utilizing the speed indicator il?, the contact plates Ll() and 11G are set at a certain predetermined position and as long as the train running Within the limit at- Which the indicator is set as determined by the position ot said contact plates, the electric circuit through said Contact plates will al- Ways be closed, but it the train attains such a speed that the hand l? of said indicator moves to a position Where the circuit between said plates is broken by the contact member becoming disengaged therefrom, the solenoid 38 will be (le-energized and the air brakes will be applied as previously described.

l claim:

l. A train control device comprising, in combination, a track, a train upon `said track, a relay upon said train electrically connected to said track, a solenoid upon said train, an electric circuit upon said train opened and closed by said relay and embodying therein an auxiliary source ot electric supply connected to said solenoid, a casing embodying therein a pressure chamber, a cylinder communicating with said pressure chamber, a` train pipe communicating with said cylinder, a piston Within said cylinder and embodying therein an exhaust valve :tor said train pipe, said solenoid being operatively connected to said piston and adapted to close said exhaust valve, means rendered etl'ective by the breaking ot an electric circuit to actuate said piston to open said exhaust valve, a fluid pressure reservoir and means to conduct pressure liuid trom .said reservoir to said pressure chamber beneath said piston to move the latter and close said exhaust valve.

2. A train control device comprising, in combination, a track, a train upon said track, a relay upon said train electrically connected to said track, a solenoid upon said train, an electric circuit upon said train opened and closed by said vrelay and einbodying therein an auxiliary source ot electric supply connected to said solenoid, a casing embodying therein a pressure chamber, a cylinder communicating with said pressure chamber, a train pipe communicating With said cylinder, a piston Within said cylinder and embodying therein an exhaust valve for said train pipe, said solenoid being operatively connected to said piston and adapted to close said exhaust valve, means rendered etiective by the breaking ot an electric circuit to actuate said piston to open said exhaustvalve, a tluid pressure reservoirand means to conduct pressure tluid from sail reservoir to said pressure chamber beneath said piston to move the latter and close said exhaust valve, and also to shut ottl the supply of pressure fluid from said reservoir to said pressure chamber.

A tr-ain control device comprising, in combination, a track, a train upon said track, a relay upon said Atrain electrically connected to said track, a solenoid upon said train, an electric circuit upon said tra-in opened and closed by said relay and embodying therein an auxiliary source ot electric supply connected to said solenoid, a casing einbodying therein a pressure chamber, a cylinder communicating with vsaid pressure chamber, a train pipe communicating with said cylinder, a piston Within said cylinder and embodying` therein an exhaust valve for said train pipe, said solenoid being operatively connected to said piston and adapted to close said exhaust valve, means rendered effective by the breaking ot an electric circuit to actuate said piston .to open said exhaust valve, a. liuid pressure reservoir and means to conduct pressure tluid troni said reservoir to said pressure chamber beneath said piston toinove the latter and close said exhaust valve, said piston also being adapted to shut oill the supply ot pressure 'fluid trom said reservoir to said pressure chainber and also embodying therein means to release the pressure in said pressure chamber during its movement to close said exhaust valve. Y

1l. A train control device comprising, in combination, a track, a train upon said track, av relay upon said train electrically connect ed to said track, a solenoid upon said train, an electric circuit upon said train opened and closed by said relay land embodying therein an auxiliary source ofvelectric supply connected to'said solenoid, a Vcasing em lio bodying therein a pressure chamber, a cylinder communicating with said pressure chamber, a train pipe communicating with said cylinder, a piston within said cylinder and embodying therein an exhaust valve for saidtrain pipe, said solenoid being operatively connected to said piston and adapted to close said exhaust valve, means to conduct a pressure iiuid from said train pipe to said cylinder above said piston to actuate the latter to open said exhaust valve, a fluid pressure reservoir and means to conduct pressure iiuid from said reservoir to said pressure chamber beneath said piston to move the latter and close said exhaust valve.

5. A train control device comprising, in combination, a track, a train upon said track, a relay upon said train electrically connected to said track, a solenoid upon said train, an electric circuit upon said train opened and closed by said relay and embodying therein an auxiliary source of electric supply connected to said solenoid, a casing enibodying therein a pressure chamber, a cylinder communicating with said pressure chamber, a train pipe communicating with said cylinder, a pist-on within said cylinder and embodying therein an exhaust valve for sa'vd train pipe, said solenoid being operatively connected to said piston and adapted to close said exhaust valve, means to conduct a pressure fluid from said train pipe to said cylinder above said piston to actuate the latter' to open said exhaust valve, means to reduce the pressure of said fluid between said train pipe and said cylinder, a 'fluid pressure reservoir and means to conduct pressure iiuid from said reservoir to said pressure chamber beneath said piston to move the latter and close said exhaust valve.

V6. A train control device comprising, in combination, a track, a train upon said track, a relay upon said train electrically connected to said track, a solenoid upon said train, an electric circuitupon said train opened and closed by said relay and embodying therein an auxiliary source of elect-ric supply connected to said solenoid, a cylindeiya train pipe embodying therein sections communicating with said cylinder, a piston within said cylinder and embodying therein an exhaust valve for said train pipe, said piston also embodying therein a train pipe port, said solenoid being connected to said piston and adapted to operate the latter to close said exhaust valve and establish comnuinication between the sections of said train pipe through Vsaid train pipe port and means rendered eil'ective by the breaking of an electric circuit to actuate said pist-on to break communication between said train pipe sections through said train pipe port and also open said exhaust valve.

7. A train control device comprising, in combination, a track, a train upon said track, a relay upon said train electrically connected to said track,` a solenoid upon said train, an electric circuit upon said train opened and closed by said relay and embodying therein an auxiliary source of electric supply connected to said solenoid, a casing embodying therein a pressure chamber, a cylinder coininunicating with said pressure chamber` a train pipel embodying therein sections coininunicating with said cylindera piston within said cylinder and embodying therein an exhaust valve for said' train pipe, a train pipe port and a pressure reservoir port; a uid pressure reservoir, means communicating with said cylinder and pressure reservoir port of said piston to conduct pressure fluid from said reservoir to said pressure chamber beneath said piston, said pressure fluid being adapted to move said piston to close saidexhaust valve and establish communication between the sections of said train pipe through said train pipe port and to break communication from said pressurereservoir to said pressure chamber through said pressure reservoir port and means rendered effective by the breaking of an electric circuit to actuate said piston to break communication between .said train pipe sections through said train pipe port, to open said exhaust valve and to establish communica.- tion between said pressure reservoir and said pressure chamber through said pressure reservoir port.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE 1H. sANBoiiN. 

